A man who clawed a woman on Paradise Valley Road while acting as a fictional cartoon character was committed Oct. 7 to a state psychiatric hospital after a judge determined he was insane at the time.
Four doctors said Jesse Alan Gutierrez, 48, was insane and not capable of knowing his actions were wrong during the Oct. 26, 2013 attack. Gutierrez has schizophrenia.
Gutierrez wore four large nails wrapped around his knuckles with duct tape and described himself as “a Wolverine,” which he thought was “a witchcraft wolf,” according to court records.
The Wolverine character first appeared in the comic book, “The Incredible Hulk,” in Nov., 1974, and he later appeared in a revamped version with a superhero team, according to Wikipedia. The Wolverine character is described as a mutant who possesses animal-keen senses and has been featured in nine movies, according to Wikipedia.
Doctors wrote he had a longstanding history of mental illness and had visited psychiatric hospitals 23 times since 2003. He has made four suicide attempts, records say.
San Diego Superior Court Judge Amalia Meza committed Gutierrez after reading the lengthy psychiatric reports. He received credits for three years in jail and a state hospital since his Oct., 2013 arrest.
The victim was had just parked her car on Paradise Valley Road south of Woodman Street at 5:30 a.m. when Gutierrez approached her. He demanded her car keys and she was cut in the neck. She was taken to a hospital.
Attacks on two other women in the South Bay several days earlier were not part of the insanity finding and Gutierrez was sentenced to 12 years and four months in prison after he pleaded guilty to committing two robberies.
Deputy District Attorney Mackenzie Harvey said Gutierrez will stay at a state psychiatric facility, but the prison term was imposed in case Gutierrez’s sanity is restored. He would then be transferred to prison, she said.
